


tell me how the world looks like

by Bitway



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: AlieaWeek2020, First Meeting, M/M, Superpowers AU, alieaweek, all aliea kids have some sort of power in this au, calling tatsuya hiroto bcuz this isnt set in an ares verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25419769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitway/pseuds/Bitway
Summary: At the cost of his freedom, he was safe in his own little world. But even he yearned to leave it. All it takes is a sudden encounter with someone who was different, just like him.Aliea Week day 2 - AU
Relationships: Kiyama Tatsuya | Kiyama Hiroto | Gran/Midorikawa Ryuuji | Reize
Kudos: 11





	tell me how the world looks like

**Author's Note:**

> uses aliea week to kick out some really old AU thats been in my notes lol.  
> anyway!! this is heavily inspired by kagepro, namely Imagination Forest. I don't count it as a kagepro au since I'm swapping out the whole eye abilities for other types of powers?? but ye just wanted to drop that bit of info- enjoy!

The forest outside is filled with life. Birds were chirping and Midorikawa swears he caught sight of a deer running by just as he opened the window. The sun was bright and its rays were breaching through the branches. Looking down, he could spot the small batch of flowers beginning to bloom. A pleasant breeze passes over him and he knew that this was the start of a beautiful day.

The boy leans against the window, taking in the familiar sight before him. He lets out a soft sigh and gets distracted by a lone vine resting upon the window sill. It's not a special plant, just another part of the wildlife that surrounded most of his home and trying to sneak its way inside. As he keeps his gaze upon it, a stem grows. It sprouts a bud and then blooms into a full flower.

His gaze softens, and he is tempted to reach out and touch the petals. There's another stem tat has the potential to bloom, but he saves that one for another time.

Midorikawa pushes himself away from the window. He steps further inside to a wooden table with a cloth draped over it. A book lay upon it, open with a bookmark stuck in between its pages. He sits down and lets his fingers glide over the paper before beginning to read where he had last left off.

Not even two paragraphs in and he's ready to close the book. It's not that he found this book dull, it was quite the opposite. This was one of his favorite books, one about a boy leaving his home island to go out on an adventure. But how many times had he read it? Too many to count. He could recite it by heart at this point.

With a sigh, he rests his head in his hand. He tears his gaze off the boy and over to the bookshelf at the other end of the room. Eyes skim over the titles, but not a single one stands out. He'd read them all, each at least twice. There was no new world for him to explore in these books, only the same old adventures.

A framed photograph sitting beside the bookshelf catches his eyes. It was a picture of him, when he was younger, standing alongside his mother.

_'Promise me, Ryuuji. You can never go outside. It's a cruel world not meant for people like us.'_

Her voice rings loud and clear in his mind. It makes his chest ache. It had been years since she uttered that warning, and he was intent on keeping that promise. Not once did he step outside this little cottage in the woods, to the world outside his home. Not since…

_'Monster!'_

_The sudden pain of rocks hitting his body._

_'You're a freak!'_

_A blade glistening in the daylight._

_'You don't deserve to live!'_

_He could hear the faint sound of his mother's voice crying out for him._

_'Die!'_

Midorikawa flinches at the memory. He pushes the rest out of his mind, not wanting to relive what happened next.

His mother was right. The outside world was cruel. It didn't accept those that were different. Like them. Like him.

And yet he always found himself staring at the door with a longing to open it. Was he meant to stay in this cottage all his life? One day he would have to venture outside, right? To live his life- like the characters in his books! The world outside was dangerous, yes, but it wasn't as bad as his mother claimed to be. From what he could see out his window, the world was beautiful, charming. And he wanted to be a part of it.

The boy gets to his feet and turns to face the door. He gulps as he stares it down. Maybe, maybe today would be the day he finally goes outside. He didn't have to leave right away, just take small steps. He could start with exploring around his home before coming back. Little by little, he could see more of the outside world.

With a determined look, Midorikawa walks right up to the door. He grabs the handle, turns it and swings it wide open.

And then his heart stops.

Right in front of him was a boy. A young, pale boy with bright red hair and shining teal eyes, who e guessed was about his age. The stranger looked confused with his hand frozen in the air- was he about to knock on the door?

"Hel-"

He slams the door in his face.

_'Why is someone here?!'_

This wasn't how things were supposed to be. No one was supposed to be around here. So, why was this random kid here?

In a panic, Midorikawa flees from the door and frantically looks around for a place to hide. The only place he could hide was underneath the table, and that's where he went. Although it didn't do much. The cloth dangling couldn't even conceal him.

_'I shouldn't have opened that door!'_

Midorikawa brings his knees to his chest and hugs them tightly. He prays that the stranger would leave. When he hears a knock upon the door, he feels a churning sensation in his stomach. His mind replays scenes from his youth. He could already hear that word- _monster_.

"Go away!" He shouts. "No one is home!"

His body was trembling and no matter how tightly he hugged himself, it wouldn't stop. He could feel the world underneath him twisting and turning. Sprouts appear in between the surrounding floorboard. A couple force their way, pushing aside the wood and growing into thick vines that crept around him. It wasn't intentional. Truthfully, he didn't want these plants to grow, not now. It would only further show that he was a freak.

A monster.

The sound of footsteps growing closer causes him to look up. His gaze goes to the door, and he wonders what the stranger is doing. Then it clicks.

_'The window!'_

Midorikawa doesn't want to hurt the stranger, he just wants him gone. He can feel the vine on the sill beginning to grow in size and move in an attempt to stop the intruder. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as he hears shoes hit the floor. The boy holds his breath and shuts his eyes as he fears for the worst. His mother wasn't here to save him this time. He was alone.

As the footsteps approach, the only thing he can do is press his face into his knees. The surrounding vines continue to grow and act as a shield as they wrap around him.

He waits for something bad to happen. Name calling, rocks, the worst he imagines involves fire. But…nothing happens. And he's fairly certain that the stranger is in front of him. It takes a few seconds for Midorikawa to gather the courage to lift his head. And when he does, he finds the boy bending down with a smile on his face.

"Hello."

Midorikawa doesn't reply. The boy tilts his head as the smile fades. After a moment, he digs into his pocket. Midorikawa hides his face again.

"Here."

He slowly peeks out and…finds a small star plush, the size of a hacky sack, in the boy's hand. When he doesn't move, the boy only holds it out closer to him.

"It's a star. If you make a wish on it, you'll feel better."

Midorikawa glances between the boy and the star in his hand. He couldn't tell if this was real. A stranger offering him a gift instead of inflicting pain; it wasn't something he was expecting at all.

As he loosens the grip on himself, a hand extends to take the star. It was softer than the pillows he owned.

"Sorry for intruding."

_'It's a little late for that…'_

"What's your name? My name is Hiroto."

"Ryuuji."

"Ryuuji…you live in this place by yourself?"

He nods.

Hiroto sits down and takes a moment to look at Midorikawa's home. While he's preoccupied with the scenery, Midorikawa slowly unwinds and playing with the star in his hands. The surrounding vines begin to fall. When he feels Hiroto's gaze on him, their eyes meet.

"You're different, aren't you?"

The question makes the vines go back to their original position, and he feels his chest tighten.

"Don't worry, I am too."

_'…What?'_

"I don't believe you."

"I guess I do seem pretty normal. I don't like using my powers but…" He scratches his cheek and lets out a sigh. He keeps his gaze on Midorikawa.

_'Do you believe me now?'_

"What?!" Midorikawa jumps. "Y-You spoke! But you didn't!" He kept his eyes on him and he swore that the stranger just spoke, yet his mouth never moved. And his voice sounded ten times closer, as if it were being said to him and only him.

Hiroto points to his head. "Telepathy. Like I said, I don't like using it. People end up calling me an alien whenever they figure out," he said with a chuckle.

"You don't even look like an alien."

"Right?"

Midorikawa wonders how he isn't even bothered by that name. He would be near tears if he even joked about what he had been called.

"Anyway," Hiroto starts. He pauses as he gets to his feet. "Are you going to come out of hiding now?"

Midorikawa hesitates. He didn't really have a reason to hide now. This boy was…different. They were the same. Except he had come from the outside world.

The surrounding vines fall once more. They begin to revert to their original size. Once free, he crawls out from under the table, never once letting go of that star he gave him.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"Do you want to come with me?"

"You mean…outside?"

"Yeah."

"I…can't."

"Why not?"

Midorikawa glances towards the bookshelf. Hiroto's gaze follows, and he notices the picture sitting beside it. Without a word, he walks towards it. He stands in front of it, looking at the picture before reaching out to grab it. Worried that he might take it, Midorikawa quickly runs up to him. When he gets to his side, Hiroto holds it out to him.

"We can bring this with us. It's important to you, right?"

"Huh?" He tilts his head as he takes hold of the picture.

"You have a nice home, but you can't stay here forever," Hiroto says. He looks over to the closed door. "There's so much out there. Don't you want to go and see the world?"

Midorikawa's eyes shimmer and he nods. Yes, that's exactly what he wanted. It was what he dreamed of.

"Then…" Hiroto pauses as he looks back to Midorikawa. He holds out a hand to him. "If you need someone to go with you, my hand is always here for you to take. I can show you what it's like and you won't have to be alone anymore."

Black eyes glance down to his extended hand. It was very tempting to take. To leave all this behind. The safety of his home, the memories of his childhood and his mother. And…what else? Is that all he really had here? This small world that never branched out, that never grew. It remained stagnant in time, keeping him locked away from the world he yearned to explore.

And now, he was given a chance to leave. He could be with this strange boy, someone like him who knew what it was like out there.

_'Sorry, mom.'_

Midorikawa looks too Hiroto. He clenches the photograph and star against his chest.

_'I know, I'm breaking your promise, but…'_

He reaches out to take Hiroto's hand and tightly holds it.

_'Taking a leap of faith is better than taking a leap of doubt, right?'_

"I…want to see how the world looks like. Please, Hiroto, show me the world!"


End file.
